North Carolina is a beautiful place that constantly attracts growing businesses. The truth is, businesses are moving to North Carolina because of the fact that this state offers a high quality of life for their employees.

The State of North Carolia has a lot to offer. A Beautiful environment, picturesque charm, and a rich culture rich in history and the arts, as well as many world-class sports make North Carolina a remarkable place to live and do business.

Top NC Mountain Home Real Estate Communities Review

Why Businesses Are Moving to North Carolina

North Carolina is a beautiful place that constantly attracts growing businesses. The truth is, businesses are moving to North Carolina because of the fact that this state offers a high quality of life for their employees.

Learn About the State of North Carolina

The State of North Carolia has a lot to offer. A Beautiful environment, picturesque charm, and a rich culture rich in history and the arts, as well as many world-class sports make North Carolina a remarkable place to live and do business.

Lower cost of Living: North Carolina has a lower cost of living than many other Midwestern and Western States.

A dropping Unemployment Rate: The Unemployement rate has dropped from 8.8% to 8.0 in three months.

Affordable Housing Market: Homes for sale in North Carolina have only increased 2.2% year over year while surrounding states have had much faster increases.

Let’s look closely at these main reasons and see “what all the buzz is about” concerning moving to North Carolina.

North Carolina’s Rich Geography

This is just one of Many Beautiful North Carolina Lakes.

North Carolina highest waterfall is 811 feet! The highest east of the Rockies!

North Carolina is situated perfectly at the foot hills of the Smoky Mountains on the West Coast and Atlantic Ocean on the East, North Carolina has so much to offer!

Areas like Asheville and Boone found within the Western portion of the state offer a myriad of breath-taking Mountain views with unparalleled beauty.

You’ll discover a wealthy living with an affordable cost of living in the Charlotte and Raleigh Central NC Areas. The Eastern portion such as Wilmington and Morehead city are the “Crown Jewels” of the State where everyone lives the dream of luxurious Coastal Living.

Regardless of where you choose you live across this beautiful state, you can’t go wrong because North Carolina is a wonderful place to live.

North Carolina is a Huge Outdoor Playground

North Carolina has the great mix of moderate climate and diverse geography that makes the state perfect for a variety of outdoor recreational activities. Actually, North Carolina has become so popular that it now ranks as the 6th most visited state in the United States. All you have to do is simply drive across the state yourself to see the vast variety. From the Mountains of Asheville/Boone to the Charlotte/Raleigh Piedmont to the Coastal areas of Wilmington and Morehead City…of all North Carolina is beautiful.

Regional Climates

North Carolina’s moderate climate really is generally categorizes by mild winters, longer Spring and Fall seasons, and warm (but not too hot) summers. The NC Mountains have an average temperature of 55°, 48” average rainfall, and 16” average snowfall. The Piedmont’s average temperature is 59° with a 41” average rainfall and a 8” average snowfall. The coast has a 64° average temperature, 54” average rainfall, and 2” average snowfall. As a result many people from Southern States eventually relocate to North Carolina due to the milder climate compared to South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

NC Regional Climate Averages

The North Carolina Coast

Across the State Recreation

North Carolina has a wide range of celebrated adventures including:

National/State parks

Outdoor college/sporting events

Beautiful sandy beaches

Golf courses

All of which offer remarkable outdoor adventures.

WaterSports

Beautiful Beaches in North Carolina

The state actually has 300 miles of white sandy beaches where one can enjoy all types of water sports such as:

Boating

Swimming

Kayaking

Fishing.

Mountain Activities

The mountains offer a myriad of picturesque places to do:

Snowboarding/skiing

Mountain biking

Golfing

Whitewater rafting

Rock climbing

Waterfall hiking

Horseback riding

Fishing

Golfing

See the Mountain Colors

North Carolina is home to about 120 different types of tree species, and every Fall, the NC Mountains are the best place to view all the beautifully brilliant kaleidoscope of colors. During the popular Fall season, many tourists love to frequent drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, hike the surrounding trails, and mountain bike to the highest peaks…all to witness the beautiful foliage display.

North Carolina’s Dropping Unemployment Rate

Let’s examine North Carolina’s unemployment rate. At the height of the Great Recession in January of 2011, North Carolina’s Unemployment Rate was 10.4%. By October 2013, North Carolina’s Unemployment rate had dropped to 8.0%. Although the National Unemployment Rate had dropped down to 7.3%, North Carolina has seen their unemployment rate drop almost an entire percentage point from 8.8% in July to 8.0% by October while the National Unemployment remained close to a 7.3 constant.

Compared with Surrounding States

North Carolina’s unemployment rate is slightly above the 7.3% average when you examine the surrounding states. South Carolina’s unemployment rate is 7.5%, Tennessee’s is 8.4%, and Virginia’s is 5.6%.

While North Carolina’s unemployment rate is higher than the 7.3% median, remember again that in the past 3 months, NC’s Unemployment rate has dropped 0.8%! If this trend continues, we will see North Carolina’s Unemployment rate continue to drop down even lower and lower.

Compared with Midwest and Western States

North Carolina’s 8.0% unemployment rate is dramatically lower than Midwestern and Western States. California’s unemployment rate is 8.7%, Washington DC has a 8.9% unemployment rate, and the Midwestern states of Illinois, Kentucky, and Michigan have higher unemployment rates of 8.9%, 8.4%, and 9.0%, respectively.

North Carolina’s Lower Cost of Living

North Carolina offers an exceptional quality of life for both people living here and business who want to attract and keep highly skilled workers. A moderate climate, world-class sporting events, quality health care, plenty of recreational activities, low construction costs, and low cost of living are all reasons why people are moving here.

North Carolina’s Housing Costs are More Affordable than Surrounding States

When you examine the Zillow Home Value Index, you’ll notice that North Carolina is more affordable than the surrounding States of Virginia and South Carolina. North Carolina’s 2013 Zillow Home Value Index is an indication of the overall cost of homes for sale in North Carolina. North Carolina’s Zillow Home Value Index has increased 2.2% year over year. Another point is that North Carolina’s Average residential value is currently at $135K. These numbers are very positive! It’s great to know that North Carolina has a lower cost of living than the National Average but that the housing costs are actually more affordable than many other states in the union.

The Cost of Living is Below the National Average

The average cost of living in North Carolina is actually very reasonable. In fact, housing, groceries, transportation, and health care are all actually below the national average. When you examine the 2012 NC Cities Cost of Living Index below, you’ll see the Asheville comes in at 99.4, close to the National Average Cost of Living while other cities like Winston Salem and Raleigh come in at 89.2 and 90.9 respectively.

Cost of Living Details for National Average

Charlotte and Raleigh are the More Affordable Markets by Value

Charlotte is the one particular market in North Carolina that is outpacing many others. Charlotte’s residential value is outpacing the North Carolina benchmark with a 3.5% increase in value. Mecklenburg County saw one of the highest home spikes in July of 2013.

The Raleigh Metro area is another growing area. Raleigh’s residential value has jumped up from $167K in September 2011 to $184K in October 2013. Raleigh is based in Wake County; Wake County is up 7.8% year over year. That’s strong.

Zillow Report on North Carolina Homes for Sale

North Carolina’s Economy is Poised to Grow Dramatically in 2014

North Carolina’s dropping unemployment and lower cost of living is great, but what about North Carolina’s economy? UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton says that 2014 “could be a breakout year for the NC Economy” because of continued strong growth and a recovering housing sector. He explains that these four developing factors are working together to poise the NC Economy for strong upward growth.

2013 was a good year mainly because of the fact that the U.S. avoided going over the ‘fiscal cliff.’ “While we did not avoid a tax increase, the impact was much less than the worst case scenario,” Economist John Connaughton said.

As the recession begins to wind down, consumers are starting to return to the economy. The August 2013 consumer confidence index rose to 81.5, the highest in almost six years.

For the first time in five years, we are seeing sustained increases in housing prices. The Case-Shiller Home Price Index increased by 12.1 percent from June 2012 to June 2013, for the 20 City Composite.

Because of the improvement in the economy during 2013, the projected budget deficit for the 2013 fiscal year is down to $759 billion, or 4.6 percent of GDP. This compares to the 2012 fiscal year budget deficit of $1.1 trillion, which was the fourth consecutive year of budget deficits in excess of one trillion dollars.

Homes for Sale in North Carolina

This is a perfect time to look for homes for sale in North Carolina…and seriously consider moving here! Remember, North Carolina’s Zillow Home Value Index has only increased 2.2% year over year while surrounding states have had much faster increases.

Tips for Buying a Home

Appalachian Home in the Mountains of North Carolina

When looking for homes for sale in North Carolina, is always best to do enough research so that you can become “your own expert” and make a well informed purchase decision. Know ahead of time what you can comfortably afford, talk to real estate agents who know the area “inside scoop” and can help you out. Create a budget and stick to it throughout the entire process so that you don’t get derailed trying to make ends meet. Lastly, keep in mind the big picture. Purchasing a home is the most sensible and long term way to build wealth.

Consider Buying a New Home

Always remember to consider the “new home” option when looking at homes for sale in North Carolina. Buying a new many times a better investment, but, it can be a huge hurdle just to find new home construction listings. Try the new home section in your local paper. When you visit the sales office, see all of the available home sites, floor plans and any new homes that have already completed construction.

Make North Carolina Your New Home

The beautiful geography, variety of outdoor recreational activities, affordable housing market make North Carolina a beautiful place to live. We highly encourage you to plan your next trip to North Carolina so that you can see for yourself why everyone loves our beautiful state.